When Joey Met Mai
by xprim
Summary: The story of Joey and Mai's relationship over the course of ten years, beginning from their first meeting on the ship to Duelist Kingdom, through the events of the show, and then a couple years following. A few years after DOMA, Joey and Mai meet again at a masked duel tournament. How have things changed? Loosely based off of the movie, When Harry Met Sally. Polarshipping JoeyxMai


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yugioh.

This is my first fanfiction, so please feel free to provide feedback!

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 **YEAR ONE – DUELIST KINGDOM**

MAI VALENTINE

I can still remember the day I first met Joey on the boat to Duelist Kingdom. He wore a green jacket that suited his slender frame well and his blonde hair hung in purposefully-messy pieces around his chocolate brown eyes. Standing at about five-ten, he looked like a fish out of water – an amateur in a sea of veteran duelists. I didn't even want to waste my time, but he was standing with the famous Yugi Muto. At barely five foot four, Yugi's spiky black hair with the magenta stripe was something that stood out from the crowd. I had heard that he just defeated Kaiba – a feat unimaginable by even the best duelists. But standing before my own two eyes, this short stack had done it. And I just had to meet him. Maybe he could actually challenge me – something the other boys could never do. I made my way over to the duo, trying my best to impress.

"So you're the Yugi kid that everyone's talking about, huh?" I confidently directed towards Yugi. "But I'm amaaazed that a squirt like you could beat Kaiba. You're famous you know."

"Thanks very much...I think." Yugi managed to stammer out, blushing in embarrassment by my half-compliment.

I'm not sure he had ever been approached by someone quite like me. I had to admit, my long blonde hair, fashioned in loose curls, typically turned heads. If my violet eyes didn't catch their attention, my dueling certainly did. It looked like Joey was just another hopeless guy, captured by my beauty.

"Hey miss, I'm a really good friend of the famous Yugi, the master duelist. In fact, I –" Joey nervously interjected.

"Look", I cut off the Brooklyn blonde before returning to meet Yugi's eyes, "you're either a champ or a chump. Cut this guy loose. He's fashion challenged and deserves to be crushed in the games", directing my insults at Joey.

"Pleeease, crush me" Joey giggled.

"I'll crush you all eventually. The name's Mai." I walked away, knowing that I would one day get my chance to duel the famous Yugi…and maybe even the dorky blonde too.

Thinking about how crass I was to Joey that day still bothers me. But that's just how I defended myself. Ever since I was a little girl, I had to prove myself to the boys. They would tease me and thought I was weak. Well if I struck first, their words wouldn't even have a chance to hurt me. So I put up a barrier that nobody could penetrate. Nobody would get close to me and nobody would hurt me. I would prove to myself and the world that I was strong. I had been on my own for fifteen years and dueling was the way to prove my strength.

Joey had always seen through my disguise. He knew I was tough, but he also knew on the inside I was hurting. I took things too seriously back then. And I was mean. I put a hard shell on and tried to intimidate everyone around me before they could hurt me. To think, I probably wouldn't have even met that brown-eyed goofball if it weren't for my obsession to be the best. Sometimes I wonder if things were supposed to happen for a reason…

JOEY WHEELER

Mai was my very first competitive duel. She challenged me because she thought I was weak. Maybe my dueling was weak, but I had heart. Plus, I had been through plenty of tougher situations and made out alright. Life hadn't always been as easy as it was when I became friends with Yugi, Tristan and Tea. My parents' divorce took its toll on me the hardest – not because I wanted them to stay together, but because I wanted my sister and I to stay together.

I can still hear Serenity sobbing as our mother drove her away, leaving my father and I behind. I hated seeing her cry and I wanted to protect her. Why didn't mom want me to go with her? Why did I have to wait years before seeing Serenity again? I'll probably never get an answer, but I just needed to remind myself that winning that duel would be the first step in seeing my sister.

That first duel reminded me that I had my best friends by my side. I'll never forget how their friendship turned my life around. When I think back to how Yugi defended Tristan and I, despite the two of us throwing his Millennium puzzle piece away, I'm ashamed that I allowed my father to influence me. Those years after the separation, I picked fights and hung around the wrong guys. I thought that if I was more like dad, he would stop beating on me, but it only led to more pain. I knew that anger wasn't me, but I let it control me for so long. It took Yugi's courage for me to realize that I had friends to protect me, just as I had always tried to protect my sister.

That day, Mai was shocked by the strength I had within myself to overcome my weaknesses. Maybe it was luck, but I'd like to think that my heart won that duel. I hope she realized she had the strength within herself too and didn't need her gimmicky tactics to win anymore.

MAI

I invented the aroma technique after the little magician Kora from my childhood storybooks. Kora was just like me, an orphan whose parents left this world too soon. The car accident that shattered my once-happy home weakened my sense of purpose in this world, but reading about that little girl's magic powers gave me life. I wanted to be just like her. Something special that the others envied and admired – not the orphan girl that the other kids avoided and pitied. So, I took her mind-reading ability and made it my own.

I knew I could never read the duel monster cards without looking at them, but maybe I could create the illusion that I could. But how would I do it? I wished and prayed that my mother would give me guidance to live my fairytale dream, but whenever I closed my eyes to remember her, the only thing I could see were the memories of my mother showing me all of her "treasures", as she called them. In her bedroom stood the cream-colored vanity, her ruby red lipstick, the fair pink blush and what seemed like a lifetime supply of makeup to get her ready for the day. But my favorite thing was always her perfume.

They were so beautiful - all those pink and purple bottles lining the top of her dresser. They sparkled when the sun shined through her bedroom curtains and filled the room with a scent that I could only describe as "home". The lilac-laced fragrance filled the room and the sparkling raspberry sweetness stayed with me all day… almost like magic. Just. Like. Magic. That was it! I would spray the cards with my favorite scents and detect which card was which without even looking! I could finally be Kora! Maybe someone would look up to me the way that I looked up to the girl from my fairytales. Maybe I could finally be someone special.

JOEY

I started seeing Mai differently when she gave me her entry card for the Duelist Kingdom Finals. I was on the ground completely defeated when she came to me. The tears had started filling my eyes as the realization sunk in that all hope for paying for my sister's operation was over.

"Get up off the floor, Joey! And quit all your crying already. You look like a big baby", came a familiar voice.

"Who's crying? I got something in my eye. Stupid thing won't come out!", I defended, hoping that Mai wouldn't see through my lies. But she did. And instead of ridiculing me like I expected, she comforted me.

"Here. Just don't go blowing your nose in it", she calmly said as she handed me a handkerchief. "You know… every time I think I've got you figured, you surprise me, Joey".

I was stunned to open the handkerchief and find her entry card inside. I thought it was a mistake, but I realized that Mai was there for me when I needed her. Despite all the insults tossed my way, she was the only reason I had another fighting chance in this tournament! I knew underneath that tough exterior was a good heart and a true friend.

I was so grateful to have another opportunity to win the money for Serenity's eye operation. Serenity was the light at the end of the tunnel for me as a kid and I was so proud to be her big brother. I remember when we were younger and we went to the beach. We were lost in the sound of the waves and the sand between our toes so I knew I had to take her back one day. She was my best friend and I always wanted to protect her. But I couldn't stop our parents from divorcing then and I couldn't stop her vision from creeping into darkness now. At least I had another chance to save her sight.

I defeated Bandit Keith to earn the $3 million prize for my sister's surgery. I'll never forget how Yugi and Mai and all my friends were supporting me at that tournament. They are the reason that I could save my sister and they are the reason that I fight for the people that I love.

 **YEAR 2 – BATTLE CITY**

MAI

When I first met Serenity, I didn't even realize she was Joey's sister. But it's so obvious now…they have the same heart. As if his fight to save her eyesight at Duelist Kingdom wasn't enough proof, he blamed himself for not being the best role model for her when under Marik's control. He was the kindest person I knew and I had to remind him of that.

"You showed some real courage out there, Joey, so who cares about how you looked!", I exclaimed, "just like the courage you showed at Duelist Kingdom when you dueled for your sister, remember that?". Thinking about Serenity leaving her eye bandages on until she could finally see Joey in real life, I continued, "What she did today, she did because of you. You're her idol… ding dong"!

"What kind of idol gets turned into a zombie and then almost destroys his best friend!", Joey shouted, discouraged that his actions had let his closest friends down.

Joey hadn't let anyone down. His love for his sister and friends was something I had never known. I always thought that having your guard down made you weak. But these people in his life were what made him strong. I just hoped that one day I could be that strength for him too.

JOEY

"Hang on Mai!" I shouted as she was being helplessly kidnapped by that creep Jean Claude.

Mai had won the duel, but the movie star zero just wouldn't give up. He trapped her in his ninja net and was going to make a getaway in his fancy limousine. I wouldn't let that happen and ran after her as she was able to finally break free. But breaking out of that net wasn't the only problem. Now she was barely clinging on to a building ledge three stories up. In a moment of panic, I did the only thing I could think of – try to catch her.

"Hey Mai! Come on, let go! I swear I'll catch you!" I yelled up at her, even though I wasn't even all that sure I could.

She must have trusted me because she let go and the next thing I know, she's fallen on top of me. I nearly blacked out, but her blonde curls fell on my face and her sweet strawberry scent filled my nose, giving me the strength to stay awake. My vision was blurred, but I could still see Mai's silhouette hovering over me, staring into my eyes with a dreamy look I've never seen from her. I would always protect her and in that moment, I think she knew it too.

MAI

Who was that voice? Why did it sound so familiar? I could feel my heart welcoming it, but something was preventing me from seeing him. It was like trying to patch together the fuzzy details of a dream.

"Look in my eyes, it's me", Joey pleaded as he cradled my face in his hands and tilted my head towards him.

"Joey?", I weakly asked as his face was coming into view.

"That's right, it's Joey. And I'm not gonna let anything happen to you Mai because we're friends….and I'm always here for you no matter what".

My face lit up as the blurred silhouette came into focus, and I could see my best friend standing in front of me. He was unsuccessfully trying to untie the chains that bound me in this crazy shadow game, and eventually resigned to the fact that it was impossible. The next thing I knew, his arms surrounded me attempting to block Ra's incoming blast that would certainly take my last ounce of energy.

"Forget about me, just go!" I pleaded, hoping that he would save himself.

"No way, Mai! Not without you!"

"Listen Joey, don't be a hero! Just go!"

"Look, I'm staying right here."

He pulled me in closer and I knew there was nothing that I could say that would make him leave. As he held me to his chest, tears filled my eyes. I had never been protected like this. I had never felt loved like this. If Joey was willing to sacrifice everything for me, then maybe I wasn't as alone as I thought.

But that feeling of warmth quickly vanished. The sound of Marik's footsteps grew closer and the shadow of the Millennium rod rose over my head. My eyes were blinded by a quick flash of light, and then there was only darkness.

JOEY

I dreamt about her every night after her mind was cast to the Shadow Realm. I felt responsible for not saving her. I promised her I wouldn't let anything happen to her, but it did. Mai was just an empty shell and when I grabbed her hand, it felt cold. Despite everything, I still had hope that I could fulfill my promise to her and I would do anything to bring her back.

"Anything" meant losing the four-way duel for a chance at defeating Marik. "Anything" meant feeling each attack on my life points rip away my energy. "Anything" meant withstanding the all-powerful Winged Dragon of Ra attack that drained every piece of hope I had left to win the duel. But doing these "anythings" wouldn't necessarily bring her back and Marik's ruthless attacks left a feeling of defeat. I had tried everything to bring her back and it still wasn't enough.

That feeling of hopelessness was all too familiar. I suddenly felt the flashbacks of my father yelling at me after mom drove away with Serenity. The old man was upset that our family had fallen apart, and he turned to drinking to drown the pain. At first, it didn't change much. He still ignored me, and I just tried my best to hold on to the memories of Serenity and I when our home was whole. But over time, things became different. He got so angry and blamed me for our broken family. When the punches started coming, I started to think that maybe it was my fault. No matter how many times I tried to make my father stop, it didn't matter. He was obsessed with having power over me and his anger consumed him. I could see it in his eyes then, and I could see it in Marik's eyes now.

Yugi saved me from that anger. His kindness showed me that our friendship was more powerful than the bullies at school. They were more powerful than my demons at home. And they would be more powerful than Marik's evil spirit. Together, our will would defeat Marik and bring Mai back.

When her violet eyes finally opened and I could see the sparkle in them again, I didn't even care that she had played a trick on me. I was just relieved to see her back. I wanted to hold her again and let her know that she could always trust me. It wasn't until I thought I had lost her to the Shadow Realm that I realized how strongly I felt about Mai. She had touched my heart in ways that I couldn't explain, and I never wanted to lose her again.

MAI

I had to leave. As much as Joey and the others had helped me grow as a duelist and a person, I couldn't stay with them. I had been a wanderer my entire life. This wasn't going to change just because I was starting to catch feelings for a certain knucklehead. Mai Valentine never stayed in one place and a boy certainly wouldn't dictate where my life was going next.

To be honest, when Joey ran out from the pier to catch me before leaving, I thought that maybe he would confess his feelings too. Then maybe I would stay to show him how much his sacrifices meant to me. But he didn't. And the only thing I could manage to say was that my favorite part of the tournament was meeting him.

When you live with protective walls around you, it's difficult to knock them down. I built them up for twenty-two years and even though Joey made a crack in them, those walls weren't destroyed. But I had a feeling that he wasn't done breaking them. He had come into my life for a reason and this wouldn't be the end. We would meet again, I just knew it.

 **YEAR 4 – ORICHALCOS**

JOEY

I knew Mai was independent – she always thought she could do things on her own. But I thought that things would change after Battle City and everything that we had been through. I thought that she would realize I would always protect her. It had been two years since I last saw her at the pier and I hadn't heard from her since our goodbye. I gave her space because I knew she had always preferred to be on her own, but I missed her.

When she saved us from those bikers and I picked up her Harpie Lady card, I felt so much relief that she was safe. But why did she just drive off without saying anything to us?

On the way to Industrial IIllusions, my mind was overflowed with thoughts of Mai. Maybe she was mad at me all this time for not asking her to stay two years ago. I wanted her to stay with me then, but she could be so distant that I didn't want to push her away. I regret never telling her how I wanted her in my life for good. How I didn't want to just randomly bump into her from time to time. Since she was in town, I desperately hoped that I would see her again.

When I hoped to see her again, I didn't want to see her like that. She was possessed by the power of the orichalcos and initiated a duel that would sap the loser's soul. I hated being on opposite sides – I wanted the old Mai back! I knew she was in there somewhere, and I couldn't just let the seal take her from me. There had to be a way to set her free and I wanted to be the one to find it.

MAI

I had reached my lowest point. I had nobody to save me, and I left the one person that ever cared. Joey. God, I missed him. But I was the one that left him on that pier two years ago. I always wanted to do things on my own. When I felt we were getting closer, it scared me, and I had to run. Kora didn't save the world by relying on her friends. She drew power from herself and I wanted to do the same.

But I was feeling so alone, and it was like no matter what, this creeping sadness was taking over. Then the nightmares started to haunt me. I would wake up screaming, covered in sweat, with the memory of Marik taunting me…telling me that I was worthless, and nobody would care if I were gone. I had visions of my dearest friends leaving me behind, and that reminded me why I never bothered to make friends in the first place. It was that same feeling of emptiness when my parents died and left me searching for something to stop the pain. I was alone.

Valon came to me when I was feeling hopeless. He convinced me that the pain would stop if I had power and I believed him. My mind wasn't right and when I stood before Dartz, he saw that too. He prayed on my weaknesses and poisoned my mind even further.

When I saw Joey in that dark alley, I didn't have full control of my mind and I was obsessed with defeating him in a duel. Looking back, every move we made felt like a blur until the very end. I knew he was a great duelist, but he was holding back. After everything I had done to him, he was still protecting me. Then, in a flash my mind blinked to the recurring nightmare of Marik walking towards me, sending my soul to the Shadow Realm. But instead of being trapped in that hourglass that was slowing filling with sand, Joey ran in front of me to stop Marik's curse. My automatic recoil from the darkness was blocked by the light that was standing in front of me. Joey.

"I'm always here for you no matter what", his words echoed in my mind as I was about to unleash my final attack.

I couldn't do it. He wasn't my enemy, he was my best friend. I remembered the time that he gave me back my star chips at Duelist Kingdom, the time that he caught me from falling off that building, and the time that he protected me from Ra. I couldn't lose him.

Never finishing my attack, I looked up and saw the last light extinguish from his eyes. He was too exhausted from his previous duel and was falling to his knees.

"Joey, no!" I sprinted over to take his lifeless body in my arms before it fell to the ground. The green circle was closing in on his soul as I desperately clung on to him hoping it would take me instead.

But he pushed me to safety and I watched my best friend lose his last remaining spirit. I wasn't under the control of the orichalcos anymore because he had saved me again. Tears streaming down my eyes, I knew that everything was my fault. Joey had the biggest heart of anyone I had ever known, and my own insecurities blinded me from that truth. It took his last breath to make me realize that my feelings for him were not that of vengeance. They were love.

JOEY

The souls were finally set free and I knew Mai had to be one of them. I wondered where she would go and how long it would be until we saw each other again. Would she want to see me? It gave me peace of mind to know that I had finally broken through to her. In our last moments, she remembered me for who I was, and I saw the old Mai come back to life.

Things probably wouldn't be the same between us. I needed time to sort out my feelings. I knew she was dealing with her own issues, so she probably needed time to herself too. It always felt like I had this responsibility to protect her, but then we would never stay together in the end. The timing was never right.

But she had entered my life for a reason and I knew that our paths would cross again.

MAI

I left my Cyber Harpie card with Valon. For the longest time, it had been my most prized possession…but I needed a change. These cards reminded me of this twisted idea I'd been holding onto since I was a child that cards gave me power. I learned that simply wasn't true…at least not anymore. I drew power from my friends, especially Joey. I was stronger when he was by my side. I was leaving behind my harpie cards just as I was leaving behind Valon. I wouldn't pretend like everything with the orichalcos hadn't happened, but I was moving on to a new chapter.

I needed to make a change now that I had learned that letting my guard down didn't make me weak. For the longest time, I always felt that Joey was stronger than me and always had to be the one to save me. I ran off on my own to prove that I could take care of myself, but it always felt like I was cast under his shadow. Now I realized that I drew strength from him. He wasn't my competition…he was my best friend. Joey empowered me to be a better version of myself. When he was around, that emptiness didn't eat at me. I was stronger because of him.

For now, I needed to work on myself. And when I finally felt I deserved another chance, I would see him again.

 **YEAR 5 – KC GRAND TOURNAMENT**

MAI

I didn't know for how long, but I needed more time away from him. I had to take a hard look at myself in the mirror and figure out what was next. I hated the girl that I saw and despised how I let my loneliness push away the person I cared for the most. It always felt like I was searching for the part of me that was missing. And when I turned to the Orichalcos to fill that void, it only made me take ten steps backwards. I knew I needed space, but Duel Monsters was in my blood.

If I didn't compete, at least I would watch. This game had given me life and watching the Kaiba Corp tournament satisfied my itch to play. My Harpie monsters had always been by my side when I first started dueling, but they were slowly being replaced by other monsters as I was rediscovering myself.

I silently cheered for him from the crowd when he dueled. I couldn't face him yet, but Joey had meant so much to me and I wanted to support him. I just hoped that one day I could fix everything – fix myself – and face him again.

JOEY

A part of me hoped that I would see her at this competition. When they announced the duelists, I just waited and waited for the announcer to say "Mai Valentine!". But he never did.

 **YEAR 7 - MASQUERADE BALL**

JOEY

The invitation was bordered with black lace and was titled "Masquerade Ball". Inside, it was explained that every duelist had to wear a mask to conceal their face and keep their participation a secret. That way, nobody would study anyone else's deck and be able to prepare for it. The whole secretive theme of this tournament was something I hadn't seen before, but I could never pass up the opportunity for a good duel. Plus, the prize money was $4 million – enough to start my dream of a Duel Monsters camp for kids.

"Hey Yugi, did you get that invite to the Masquerade duel?" I asked, already knowing that the best duelist in the world was invited to everything.

"Well, actually it's my tournament! Tea gave me the idea that we should host a tournament with a fancy masquerade ball at the end. You know how she loves dancing!" Yugi replied, excitedly. "You're entering, right?"

"Dancing?! Sorry Yuge, but I'll be busy _not_ tripping over my own feet", I replied, half-embarrassed at my clumsiness.

"But there will be a nice dinner, and we're getting a chocolate fondue station too!" Tea chimed in.

Without even thinking, I blurted out "Say no more, I'm in". My stomach was always faster than my brain.

I could handle a little dancing in a stuffy suit for one night. If I won, it would all be worth it.

MAI

It had been three years since my last official duel, but I was ready. I had spent the last six months practicing and completely changing my deck as part of the process to create an improved Mai. The only exception was my Harpie's feather duster card. I don't why, but I couldn't give this one up. It always saved me from tight situations by wiping the field of all magic and trap cards…plus it was like putting a little piece of my past self into my deck.

It's not like I had changed too much. I just started focusing on my work at the orphanage. I spent time with the kids, tutoring them and even teaching them about Duel Monsters. Just because I wasn't competing in tournaments didn't mean I had given up the game forever. I couldn't. Dueling had been so special to me and it would always be a part of my life. Plus, the kids looked up to me like I was the best duelist in the world.

I loved working there. At first, I just wanted to see if I could find a little girl to inspire – maybe see if I could find someone that resembled little Mai and help her avoid all the mistakes I had made. I didn't realize that those kids would be the ones helping me. They were happy and innocent, they weren't hardened by the world, jaded from years of disappointment. And they inspired me to love life again, a feeling that had been buried deep since my mother's passing.

My next destination was Domino City. I had heard through the grapevine that this tournament was held by Yugi Muto, and I really hoped it was true. I missed him and the rest of the gang. I truly hoped I was ready to own up to my mistakes and face them if I saw them again.

JOEY

"Yugi! I need help with this dumb penguin suit you're making me wear!" I shouted, annoyed that my best buddy decided to mandate formal wear for this tournament.

"I'm sorry Joey, but I had to make this a classy event! Our sponsors threatened to withdraw from the prize pool if we didn't enforce this dress code." Yugi explained, "I'm not too wild about it either".

"Alright, alright" I sighed. We were leaving in ten minutes anyway, so there was no point in complaining about it now.

When we entered the venue, I was amazed. I hadn't been too interested in the whole idea of a masquerade, but when I stepped inside, my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe my pal Yugi did this. The stadium was huge with hundreds of seats lining all four sides of the room. Ushers escorted the guests to their seats and the duelists to their positions in the middle of the room. There were twinkling lights everywhere that made the room sparkle. A Hollywood style red carpet led to the main event. The center held the eight dueling booths that were positioned in a circle and each held its own spotlight overhead. What? There were eight seats there! Was this an eight-man duel or what was going on here? How could Yugi not tell me! Well I guess he didn't even tell me that he was planning this whole event, so I'm not that surprised. But still, I'm supposed to be his best friend!

Regardless, I wasn't too nervous. I had been dueling for years, winning smaller tournaments and trying to save up for my Duel Monsters camp. I wanted it to be like a country club, but for kids who wanted to learn about dueling and a place for kids to just get together and play.

Once everyone made their way to their seats, the announcer came out to explain the rules. I was right! This was going to be an eight-man duel with everybody playing for themselves. You could help or hurt any of the other seven opponents, but it was difficult to even know who was who with these masks. The spotlights came down on the duelist arena and the match was about to start.

"…And with that, let the Masquerade Duel begin!"

MAI

It didn't say anything about dueling all seven contestants at once on the invitation! I was just glad that I changed my deck, so nobody would target me. As soon as Weevil's stink bugs were summoned, everyone knew it was him. He must have had a few enemies here since he was immediately targeted and squashed out of the tournament.

I couldn't recognize many others here by their decks, but this was certainly a tough competition. Trap cards were activated in every direction and monsters were being summoned without hesitation. I just focused on my own game and tried to keep a low profile.

"I play Red Eyes Black Dragon in attack mode!", I heard the masked duelist, three seats to my right, call out.

Could it be? There's only one duelist I know that has that card! Maybe it's someone else.

"Now I'll use my spell card, Graceful Dice!", shouted the same voice, giggling confidently as if he knew the dice would roll in his favor.

Nope, that was definitely Joey. He always used those chance cards and had insane luck too. How could I have missed that voice before? I guess I was too focused on my own game. Well now that I know it's him, I can probably guess that his face down card is Dragon Nails, which boosts his Red Eyes by 600 attack points. He loved that combo.

I'm not even sure why, but I felt a sudden uneasiness in my stomach. Earlier today, I was confident that I could face him if I happened to see him here, but now I wasn't so sure. I hadn't talked to Joey in almost three years. Would he still be mad at me? Of course not, he was the most forgiving person I knew. But maybe he's changed. He did look taller and his hair wasn't quite as blonde as I remember. But he still did that cute, mischievous laugh when he had a good card combo in his hand. Come on, Mai! Focus on the duel!

Okay, it was down to the final three – I had 500 Life Points left, Joey had 400, and the third duelist had 600. I just needed to think how I could eliminate one of the two remaining competitors. I had my Amaterasu on the field, which had 3000 attack points. I'm almost positive that I could take out Joey with my Harpie's feather duster. It would eliminate his magic card, destroy his Red Eyes, and leave him with 0 Life Points.

"I use my magic card Harpie's Feather Duster on you, duelist #3", as I pointed to the mysterious duelist to my left. The words had left my mouth before my brain had even registered what I had just done.

Why didn't I attack Joey? I could have easily taken him out. Destroying the third duelist's trap card was completely pointless. His face down card was revealed to be Imperial Mandate, which could only be activated if his Life Points were 800 or more. That card was useless to him!

"Now attack, Amaterasu!", I continued.

The attack destroyed his one monster in defense mode, leaving his life points wide open for Joey's attack. Joey quickly eliminated the third duelist with his Red Eyes and it was just the two of us left. But Harpie's feather duster was the strongest spell card I had in my hand. Without it, I couldn't take down his Red Eyes and I would be left completely vulnerable if I didn't draw something quick.

It was my turn and I drew a monster card that required a sacrifice. But I couldn't sacrifice my only monster on the field for something weaker! This card wouldn't help me at all. I put my monster in defense mode and passed my turn. Joey drew Stop Defense, which switched my monster from defense to attack mode. Then he used his second Graceful Dice spell card, in addition to his Dragon Nails, to buff his Red Eyes, eliminating the last of my Life Points.

I knew that previous turn cost me the entire tournament – I could have won! But why couldn't I attack Joey? Maybe a part of me wanted him to win…

JOEY

"I did it!", I cheered as Yugi, Tea, Duke, and Tristan leapt onto the stage and hugged me.

I still couldn't believe I had finally won a tournament of this size. My hard work had paid off and I couldn't wait to get started on my Duel Monster club! I already knew where it was going to go. There had been a For Sale sign on an old clothing store for two weeks and I had my eye on it. It was right in Domino, three blocks away from Yugi's game shop. But I could think about that later. Right now, I wanted to eat!

"When's the dinner, Yug? All this winning is making me hungry!", I joked.

"But Joey…you're always hungry!", Yugi laughed.

This night was amazing. Probably one of the best nights of my life. I just won this huge Duel Monsters tournament. Everyone was congratulating me and taking pictures with me. I had the most delicious steak and lobster dinner, with an open bar. And I had my best friends by my side. I'm not sure there was anything that could top this. Until I saw her.

Across the room standing in front of the bar was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I couldn't see her face because of the mask, but she was wearing a long, skin-tight purple dress that had a long slit down the side. The V-cut neckline flattered her curves perfectly, while the single slit showed off her long legs. Her long blonde curls sparkled underneath the lights almost as much as her wildly vibrant eyes, which were a stunning shade of violet. I had to talk to her.

Maybe it was my sudden popularity tonight or maybe it was the drinks I'd been sipping, but something gave me the confidence to walk right up to this stunning woman and ask her to dance. And everyone knows that Joey Wheeler cannot dance.

She turned to meet my gaze, and she was even more beautiful up close.

"Joey?", she cocked her head to the side and continued, "it's me", smiling playfully as she lifted off her mask.

"Mai?!", I said probably too loudly. My eyes opened wide and my cheeks began to turn a deep red.

Luckily, my mask could hide part of my embarrassment. But not for long. She lifted off my mask to see my face more clearly and then smiled.

"Joey? It's really you!", she said, quickly throwing her arms around my neck and leaning against me for a hug.

She smelled so good. A ripe raspberry scent filled my senses as I wrapped my arms around her. The hug didn't last long enough but she let go and I followed suit. I couldn't believe it. It had been almost three years since I last saw her, and she was possessed by the Orichalcos' dark power then. She looked incredible now. Something about her seemed happier – like the old Mai I knew but even more beautiful.

"Joey, did you really ask me to dance without knowing how?", she giggled, watching me struggle to keep a beat.

"Well…you see…I didn't think you would say yes", I looked down, nervously grabbing my neck with one hand.

"It's okay, I'll show you!", she smiled, taking my hands and placing them on her waist.

Then she wrapped her hands around my neck, came in a bit closer to my chest, and gently swayed us back and forth.

MAI

I couldn't believe he just walked right up to me and asked me to dance! I had just spent the past twenty minutes eating my dinner, thinking about how exactly I was going to approach him. He must have recognized me! I knew that Joey wasn't as oblivious as he seemed!

I eyed him up and down before he offered a hand, leading me to the dance floor. Joey looked great – I had never seen him dressed up like this. He was wearing a well-fitted, dark grey suit with perfectly shined black shoes. His hair was styled the same as I remembered, but it seemed slightly browner than before. His eyes were the same shade of milk chocolate that I always loved. They sparkled the same way they did three years ago, and I was just so grateful to see him again.

We had been dancing and talking for five hours, with about nine separate snack breaks, for Joey of course, and too many drink refills to count. The bartender had already memorized our orders and was ready for the next Mai Tai, my favorite for obvious reasons, and Manhattan on the rocks, Joey's favorite because of his love for New York. This felt like a dream. I never thought that things would pick up this quickly between us. I had been worried for months that we would never go back to being friends, but tonight, it felt like I had my best friend back.

My taxi had pulled up to the venue entrance to drive me home and I hugged Joey goodbye. I didn't want to leave, but it was 2am and most of the crowd had fizzled out.

"See you in three years, Joey!" I joked, as I opened the taxi door.

"Hey! I'm never waiting that long again!", he demanded.

Without really thinking, I ran back to the entrance where Joey was standing and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm just kidding Joey. I have your number, I'll text you!", I giggled as I rushed back over to the unamused taxi driver.

"You better! Have a good night Mai" he blushed, waving goodbye.

And this time, I wouldn't wait three years to talk to him again.

JOEY

As soon as her cab drove away, I raised my hand to my cheek and smiled. This had been the best night of my life. I couldn't wait to talk to Mai again. I couldn't believe how much she had changed. And yet I still felt as close to her as if we never stopped talking. We still teased each other like the old times. I couldn't believe it when she said she was in the duel tournament! I had no idea and she was standing only a few seats away from me! Of course, she called me a bonehead for that one.

She told me she settled down in a house right outside of Domino City. I couldn't even imagine the old Mai staying in one place. She travelled everywhere and never sat still. And now she worked with kids! It seems like just yesterday she would see a baby and call it an evil slobber monster.

I know she felt bad for everything that had happened with the Orichalocos. But I had long forgiven her for that. Still, it didn't stop her from mentioning it every hour and apologizing for succumbing to her insecurities. She seemed to be in a much better place now and I was happy for her.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and quickly looked to see who would even be texting me this late.

 _I made it home! I didn't even accept an evil green power that threatened to destroy the world this time!_

 _Goodnight Joey, I had a great time -Mai_

I felt a huge grin on my face. I was so happy to have her back in my life. It seemed like I was walking on air and nothing could go wrong. I replied:

 _Woohoo, I get a break this weekend from saving your life!_

 _Goodnight Mai, I had a lot of fun too – J_

I felt another vibrate and quickly grabbed my phone, not wanting to wait even a second to see Mai's message. But it wasn't her.

 _How did the tourney go? Miss you! Xoxo Viv_

Oh no.

 **YEAR 7.5 – VIV'S BACK**

MAI

We had been hanging out for a few weeks and today, Joey and I had plans to see the property he was interested in buying. He told me all about his plans to build a Duel Monsters club in Domino. I thought it was a brilliant idea. Joey had more passion for Duel Monsters than anyone, and building a facility so close to Yugi's game shop would be great for both businesses.

"Hey Mai, we've been getting along pretty well don't you think?" Joey asked, on our walk to the property.

"Yeah, I think so", answering timidly, not sure why he was acting so weird.

"Well I'm not sure how to say this without being weird, but I'm seeing someone", Joey quietly said.

"Um ok?" I replied, not sure why Joey felt this was the time or place to admit this. "Who is it?"

"Vivian. Vivian Wong – you might know her. She's a duelist too", Joey replied.

I remembered seeing her in a couple tournaments on TV. I didn't really know her though. Why was Joey telling me this now?

"I've heard of her…how long have you been together?", I asked.

"Almost a year", he said quietly.

WHAT?! He had been with someone for almost a year and was just now telling me? We'd been talking nearly every day for the past three weeks. What, was he going to wait a month before telling me he had a wife and kids?

"Oh – ", I whispered.

"Viv has been travelling to China lately for her family's restaurant business, but she's coming in town today. In fact, she's seeing the building with us. She's just running a little late so she'll catch up with us later", Joey explained.

"Oh cool, then I'll meet her. And we'll find out if she's good enough for you", I laughed, trying to lighten the mood. He smiled. "How did you guys meet?"

"I used to eat at that noodle place down the road every Friday. It's one of her parent's restaurants so I guess she liked my appetite. Or maybe she just liked my business", he laughed half-heartedly.

Joey sure acted weird when he talked about Viv. I'm not surprised - he never was good with romance. Still, I couldn't help but feel this uncomfortable tension in the air when he talked about her.

JOEY

Before Mai re-entered my life, Viv brought up the idea of moving to China with her. She was there so often for work, that it didn't make sense to commute back and forth. I travelled for tournaments anyway, so it wouldn't be that difficult to just settle in with Viv. I had considered it, but never really gave her a clear answer. Now that she was back in town, I knew Viv would ask me to leave with her again.

I wasn't even sure what was keeping me in Domino anymore. Yugi and I weren't as close as we used to be, since he was usually busy running the shop and spending time with Tea. Tristan was never that interested in dueling and worked for his father. And Duke was creating more dice games and ran his own game store. When I met Viv, things were good. She made me feel special and I loved that she was as interested in Duel Monsters as me. Moving to China to spend more time with her? That seemed fine. I could always try to build my gaming club there. So why was it so hard to leave this city?

We were seeing this place because when I first saw it was for sale, I thought it was perfect! My vision came to life and I pictured the different arenas in the back, the classes taking place in the front, and tons of kids running around trading their duel monster cards. It could be an escape for some kids – a getaway that I wish I had when I was younger. I wanted Viv to see my vision too.

"This is great, Joey! Just think how close this is to Yugi's shop! Kids could easily buy new cards there and then run over here to test them out!", Mai exclaimed.

I loved Mai's enthusiasm. She could see my vision too! Her eyes lit up when I pointed to the back, describing how I pictured my dueling arena setups. She thought that the setup was great, but suggested to put them in the front so that it would interest kids walking by the store. Even better! I hoped Viv would be this supportive too.

Viv liked my idea and thought that creating a dueling club was great, but she just didn't see anything special with that location. She tried to convince me that there would be lots just as good as that one in China. She might be right, but now that I finally saw the inside and could picture everything, I wanted this one in Domino. We could talk about it.

MAI

It was getting late and I wanted to get home to make dinner. Viv was nice enough to invite me over, but I didn't want to be the third wheel anymore. We said our goodbyes, but before I walked away, he put his arm around her and she kissed him. I know I can't claim Joey, but seeing them together gave me that same queasy feeling I had when I first saw Joey during the Masquerade duel. I had to ignore these crazy feelings. Joey and I were just friends and he was already dating someone else. I tried to hold back my jealousy, but by the time I made it to my car, I noticed a single tear had fallen on my cheek.

It had been about a week since I first saw Joey's potential new business. Viv was going back to China today, so they were spending the afternoon together. I had the Saturday to myself, so I decided to take a walk around Domino. The city was beautiful and maybe, I would look at the empty building again. I stood in front of the sale sign, and I could hear Joey's voice again. He was so passionate when he rambled on about this place. He even knew where he wanted his trashcans placed. I walked across the street, sat on the bench facing the building, and started sketching his ideas. I think he wanted the Duel Disk Rentals over here and the Trading Card Station over there, I thought as I drew the floorplans of his club in my sketchbook.

"We love it! This place would be perfect for our boutique!", I overheard a couple walking out of the building.

Oh no, they're interested in Joey's clubhouse!

"We'll have to discuss the finances with our lender next week, but otherwise, this place should be ours!", the woman said excitedly to her husband.

I had to tell Joey. He had to hurry if he wanted to make an offer on this place. He just won that Masquerade tournament, so the financing shouldn't be an issue. If he put an offer in the next couple days, he probably wouldn't be too late.

JOEY

Mai came over to my house for dinner. Viv had already left about an hour ago, so it was just the two of us. I missed this. Since Vivian had been here, I had only seen Mai once. So I was glad when she demanded I order us pizza for dinner. I wasn't so glad when she demanded that I pay for it.

"Joey, you have to make an offer on that building! I saw this couple walk out of there and they're interested in buying next week!", she said with a worried look.

"What, really? I don't know if I can! Viv didn't seem too thrilled about the place and I still haven't given her an answer about moving to China!", I replied, disappointed that my dream was slipping away.

"Well if you don't make an offer, you won't have much of a choice anyway. Is there any way that you can convince Viv that you want to stay in Domino?"

"I've been going back and forth with her about this for months", I sighed.

I could tell Mai was getting irritated. That vein on the side of her head was popping out. I saw it when I beat her in Duelist Kingdom, I saw it when I joked that she would drive her future husband nuts, and I saw it now.

"Well fine, Joey! Be indecisive about it for months! See if that ever makes your dream a reality!", she shouted. "Here's some stupid floorplans I made for it. Not like you'll ever see this come to life!", she screamed as she angrily threw some papers in my face. "Why do you even put up with her? She'll never support what you want unless it's what she wants!".

Mai's nose was turning pink and her eyes started getting watery. I could tell she was trying to blink them away so I wouldn't notice.

"Mai, I – ", I couldn't even finish because she grabbed two more slices of pizza and stormed out.

I tried to run after her, but by the time I made my way outside, she was already driving away.

MAI

Maybe I shouldn't have exploded like that. It's Joey's life – he can do whatever he wants. I just don't want him to make a mistake that he'll regret forever. Sometimes indecision is the worst decision!

I waited around for three years, trying to find the right time and the right place to face Joey again. And what happened? I came back, and he was with someone else! It was too late and now he's leaving the country with her! I'll spend the rest of my life regretting that I didn't face him sooner! I don't want to lose my best friend again. And I don't want him to feel this regret. I don't want him to feel this pain… He doesn't deserve it.

"Mai? It's Joey. Please answer me. I'm sorry! I'm sorry if it seems like I'm giving up on this dream. I'm not…I just don't know what to do. Please call me back", I listened to my voicemail.

"Mai, it's Joey again. These floorplans…you made them? They're beautiful. I can't believe you drew these. This is everything I talked about. You remembered everything! Mai, please call me back", came another voicemail three minutes later.

"Mai? It's me. Pleeease Mai, answer me. I hate seeing you cry. I hate seeing you upset. I'm so so sorry! Can we talk?". Jeesh, he was persistent.

"Mai, this is important. There is a shoe sale going on and I can only tell you where it is if you call me. I repeat, SHOE SALE Mai. Call me for the details".

That made me laugh. But I was still mad, and I still wasn't calling him back.

JOEY

I really thought that last voicemail would work. I looked down at my phone, defeated. I hated seeing her upset. I hated seeing her cry. She was way too beautiful and smart and funny and kind to be hurt as much as she had been. And to know that her pain was caused by me? I never wanted to hurt her…I've had this need to protect Mai since we first met.

I looked down at the floorplans that she drew. She really included every detail, even the garbage cans! The Duel Disk Rentals on the far left, the cash registers near the back, the security cameras on the ceiling, the front windows that would open in the summertime – it was all here! She did all of this for me. And this could all be a reality if I just made a couple phone calls.

"Hey Viv, it's me Joey…Do you have time to talk?"

MAI

A few days had passed since my fight with Joey. I hated this. He was my best friend and I wanted to talk to him again. I wanted to see his goofy smile again. He called me a few more times each day, but I ignored him every time. I finally couldn't take it anymore, I needed to hear his voice.

"Mai? Did you actually answer?", he asked.

I could tell he was relieved to finally hear from me. And I was glad to hear from him.

"Look, tell me where the shoe sale is or I'm hanging up", I replied, completely serious.

"Mai, can I come over? I don't have shoes, but I'll bring dinner", he practically begged.

"Ok", and I immediately hung up.

Maybe I had been spending too much time with Joey, but the promise of food usually won me over.

I peeked through my curtains, waiting for his car to pull in my driveway. As soon as I saw him get out, I opened the door for him.

Standing in the doorway, he held out a paper bag filled with tacos from my favorite Mexican restaurant as a peace offering. I smiled and led him inside to the living room.

"Mai, I'm sorry. I know you just wanted what was best for me".

"I'm sorry too. It's your life, you can do whatever you want, and you don't need to be taking advice from me or anyone else", I hugged him for a few seconds longer than probably necessary.

We stayed in that position on the couch before he grabbed my arms and pulled me out of our embrace, looking directly in my eyes.

"I'm not moving to China", he spoke without breaking eye contact, "and I'm not seeing Viv anymore. You were right Mai. I don't think she was ever going to let me stay in Domino. But this is my home and I'm not going anywhere." He finally looked down to the floor, biting his lip nervously and scratching his legs with both hands, as if unsure what to do with them.

My eyes lit up and I smiled up at him. I was ecstatic, but I was trying to contain it. I grabbed both of his hands before he scratched rips right into his jeans.

"Well I'm sorry to hear that Joseph, but I don't think she was good enough for you anyway", I stated, very matter-of-fact.

"Then who do you think is good enough for me?", he asked playfully, taking both of my hands in his and lightly squeezing them.

"Mmmm..", I moved my mouth to the side and looked in the other direction, as if pretending to think, "probably no one". I smirked.

Joey didn't say a word. He was staring into my eyes hungrily, then quickly glanced down at my lips, then back to my eyes. In one swift motion, both of his hands swept my blonde curls behind my ears and held my face. His lips pressed against mine and I instinctively closed my eyes. When I put my arms around him, he pulled me deeper into the kiss and I could feel the heat coming from us both. His lips were so soft, and every time I pulled away for air, I quickly came back to find them again. As his mouth was exploring mine, he dropped his hands from my face and started rubbing my back. My hands found my way to his chest, and I curled my fingers slowing scratching down his stomach, stopping at the top of his jeans. He growled and pulled me closer, so that my chest was completely pressed up against his. I felt his tongue enter and I let out a small moan as I combed my fingers through his hair. Every time his tongue went deeper, I pulled his hair a little and let out another soft moan. Finally, I pulled away from his mouth and leaned back in for one soft kiss.

His eyes fluttered open and he met my gaze, I nervously looked down, trying to hide my rosy cheeks.

"Mai, you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that…", he admitted, his voice quieter and a little lower than normal.

I didn't know what to say. My head was still up in the clouds, spinning.

"I'm glad you're staying", I managed to squeak out, reaching over to grab his hand.

He squeezed my hand back, "Me too".

JOEY

My mind was still stirring from last night. I couldn't believe that I kissed her. I had been dreaming of that for years, but could never build up the courage to do it. It was electrifying – I had never felt that way with anyone else. Her lips were so soft and small, and they fit perfectly with mine. She smelled like sweet strawberry and tasted even sweeter. When we touched, it felt like a spark tingling through my whole body. I didn't want to stop, and we only did when she pulled away.

But at the same time, memories flashed through my mind of all the times that we had been this close, and it was terrifying. It seemed like over the years, every time I started to catch feelings for Mai, something terrible would happen.

When I tried to protect her from Marik's shadow game, I knew there was something special between us. When I looked in her eyes, she trusted me and what happened? She was cast to the Shadow Realm anyway.

And when we were saying our goodbyes after Battle City, I ran after her and knew that I had to see her again. But I let her drive away and never understood her loneliness, so she turned to Dartz instead.

Then that final duel when I was desperately trying to break Mai's spell under the Orichalcos. I couldn't do it until it was too late, and our souls were captured.

Years later, we finally reunited at the Masquerade Ball and every feeling for her came rushing back. But Viv was in my life and I had almost left this city with her. Maybe Mai and I were just no good for each other. It seemed like every time we became close, something bad would happen.

Maybe it wasn't just us. Maybe it was a problem with me. It seemed like everything was great with Serenity when we were younger too, and then our families were ripped apart.

My thoughts were interrupted by a morning text from Mai.

 _Hi Sleepyhead, wanna check out that new ice cream bar?_

 _Of course!_ I replied.

I needed to tell her today. I couldn't risk hurting her or losing her again. Our friendship, what we had now, it was special. And Joey Wheeler wasn't going to screw that up again.

MAI

The easiest way to Joey's heart was his stomach, and I knew that he couldn't resist my ice cream date. This was finally happening! I had waited for a long time for him to look at me as more than friend. And I think he did too.

"Okay, that'll be $29.99", the cashier said.

"What?! Who charges thirty bucks for ice cream?", Joey asked, outraged that our twelve scoops with nearly every topping would be so expensive.

"Joey, relax –", as I handed the cashier my credit card, "it'll be worth it. Look, we have almost every flavor!", I laughed, trying to juggle the tower of ice cream in one hand and my wallet in the other.

To be honest, I only wanted strawberry – that was my favorite. But Joey's eyes widened at every flavor so I added more scoops to my bowl, so he could try them all. I was never sure how he ate so much and maintained his slender figure, but I guess his luck in Duel Monsters carried over to his metabolism in real life.

We took a seat in the nearby park, and Joey started talking more seriously through massive bites of ice cream.

"Hey Mai, I was thinking", he said while chewing a giant Oreo piece, "maybe we should just go back to the way things were before…".

"Before we ate twelve scoops of ice cream? Good idea, I feel sick", I replied, smiling.

He laughed, but then turned serious again.

"You're my best friend Mai, and I don't want things to go badly", he put his spoon down before continuing, "I think we should just be friends".

My heart sank. Why was he saying this? He was the one that kissed me! I could feel a giant lump in my throat and knots forming in my stomach. I didn't want to be the one that looked like a fool, so I put on a brave face, fought back my tears, and nodded my head.

"I think so too", I spoke quietly, "Plus, you just broke things off with Viv…you should probably take some time to yourself".

"I'm glad you understand", Joey sounded relieved, reaching for another bite, "Oh, and I bought that store…I'm starting renovations in a month", he said nonchalantly while holding up a pair of keys.

"WHAT", was all I could get out, before smiling and pushing the hurt away.

 **YEAR 8 – THE CLUBHOUSE**

JOEY

The past ten months had been insanely busy trying to perfect my gaming club. I had made renovations to perfect my vision, but it seemed like every time I fixed one thing, something else delayed my grand opening. Yugi and Duke had been helping me with the business side, and we had become much closer again. Mai and I were still friends, but there was more distance between us. I just had so much going on with the place that we didn't hang out every day. But I still expected her at the opening!

MAI

The grand opening was today! I was so proud of Joey and everything he had accomplished. This Duel Monsters club was his dream and he had sacrificed so much to make it a reality. I hoped that everyone else loved it as much as he did. Joey and I hadn't been as close since he started working on the place, but I would never miss this!

I hope Joey didn't mind, but I was bringing Ryan. He's someone I met from work – we weren't serious but we had been hanging out for a couple months and he bought me dinner sometimes. Ryan wasn't too interested in Duel Monsters, but he was interested in me, so he agreed to come along.

Wow. This was amazing…and it was so Joey! I could see every piece of himself that he poured into this place. On the outside, giant letters "The Clubhouse" in fluorescent lights hung, with a Red Eyes Black Dragon to the right of the word and the monster's tail curled underneath the letters, underlining it.

The handle of the door was shaped like a miniature duel disk and even lit up green to show that the place was open. Of course, anyone could tell they were open since there were balloons and "GRAND OPENING!" signs everywhere. And the giant windows in the front of the store were open, decorated with curtains patterned the same way as the Duel Monster card backs. You could see mini dueling arenas from outside! This was amazing, and I hadn't even stepped inside yet!

As soon as I walked in, my jaw dropped. It looked even better on the inside! Towards the front were three mini dueling arenas, laid side by side. Each arena had two dueling chairs opposite of each other, that were low to the ground so that the kids could climb in. Once they pushed a button to start the duel, the chairs would rise, and the black sign above would light up, revealing each duelist's life points.

On the other side of the front of the store were these adorable cubbies, that kids could store their bookbags while they played inside. On the wall above was a giant board labeled "Master Duelists" and there were two shelves holding blank Duel Monster cards on one and a camera on the other. Oh, this is such a cute idea! Kids would come in, get their picture taken, glue it to the Duel Monster card template and Joey would stick their picture on this wall! He was such a sweetheart…where was he anyway?

Ryan and I made our way through the clubhouse, looking at the trading card stations and stopped at the "Dedication" section. Carved into a wooden sign above the shelves were the words "Dedicated to all of my friends". Then on the shelving below were little figurines representing us. There was a Dark Magician for Yugi, a Dark Magician Girl right beside him for Tea, a Cyber Commander for Tristan, a Strike Ninja (with a pair of dice) for Duke, a Blue Eyes for Kaiba, a Goddess with the Third Eye for Serenity, and a Cyber Harpie for me. I guess I never told him that I removed the harpies from my deck, but regardless, this was so sweet! There were pictures of all our adventures and I couldn't stop smiling at the tiny details Joey included.

Ryan didn't seem too interested…I don't think he understood much about this game, so the monsters and decorations just confused him. Maybe a drink or snack would cheer him up, that always helped Joey!

We made our way further to the back to the snack/smoothie bar. This would not be Joey's place without food! This was all too cute too. The menu was named after monsters in the game! I ordered a Jinzo green tea and Ryan bought a Kuriboh Coke. Then I heard a familiar voice as footsteps came down the stairs.

JOEY

"Joey, this place is amazing! I love it!", she excitedly latched on to my neck and hugged me.

"Mai! You made it! I'm glad you think so. Getting this all together has taken ten years off my life, I'm so exhausted, but seeing it today makes it all worth it!", I smiled at her, before noticing the man standing to her right.

She noticed my smile start to fade, and quickly introduced him.

"This is Ryan, he works at the Orphanage with me…", she continued, "…and this is Joey", pointing towards me, "well you know, Joey".

Nice, she talks about me. I smirked inwardly and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise man, and this place is great. Congratulations on everything here. I love the duel…squares", Ryan said pointing towards the front of the place.

"Hon, those are dueling arenas. Squares? They are not even square, they're rectangles!", she sighed, clearly embarrassed as her face grew pink. "Anyway, Joey!" looking back to me, "what are those stairs? I don't remember those being there.".

"Huh? Oh, yeah I put those in! There was an apartment above here, but I just bought that out too and they lead to my classrooms. Wanna see?", I explained.

"Yes!", she said excitedly, grabbing Ryan's hand and heading up the stairs.

I fought the urge to slap his hand away and did a quick tour of the classrooms. This was where kids could go if they wanted to learn more about the mechanics of the game, the different monsters, traps and spell cards. In addition, Yugi agreed to host a session about the game's relation to old Egypt, the Millennium items, and the Egyptian god cards! I still couldn't believe this place was finally finished.

Mai seemed to be just as excited as I was about everything and couldn't stop talking about how she loved the dedication table and the snack bar and the sign outside and pretty much everything else. She was probably more excited than some of the kids running around here checking it out. I loved her support. And I needed it.

MAI

Joey's celebration dinner was at this fancy steakhouse and I was really excited because Serenity was going to be there. I hadn't seen her in years, and she always felt like a little sister to me! Ryan decided to head home. He was tired from being out all day long, and to be honest, I was kind of glad he was leaving. This dinner would have the whole gang, and even though our friends were bringing dates, I would rather be alone.

As we were walking to the restaurant, Joey pulled me to the side. He looked so nice. It reminded me of the Masquerade ball, except this time he wasn't wearing the blazer. He had a dark blue dress shirt on, with black pants and a black belt.

"Hey, where's Brian?", he whispered.

I rolled my eyes at him…I knew he said the wrong name on purpose.

"Joey, you know his name is Ryan. And he decided to go home. Is that ok? Am I not good enough company for you?", I joked.

He laughed, and then more seriously turned to me.

"What's the deal with him anyway? Why didn't you tell me you were seeing someone?"

"I don't know, I've been talking to him for a couple months. We've gone out on couple dates. It's nothing serious…", I trailed off, "Why do you care anyway?", trying to get him to admit he was slightly jealous.

"I was just wondering Mai, jeesh I thought we were friends!", he defended, then continued, "But…I don't think he's good enough for you".

He said it the exact same way that I did a year ago, when I was talking about Joey's ex, Vivian. The same line that led to our kiss. And he knew it. God, why was he playing these games? It had been nearly a year, and I had accepted that our kiss was a mistake. Now he was trying to make me relive those feelings? What was wrong with him? And why was he looking at me like that? Stop giving me those puppy dog eyes. I was a little annoyed but remembered that this was _his_ night and I needed to behave.

"We should head to the table", I quickly changed the subject and started walking over.

We arrived at the table and of course, everyone was already seated and there were only two seats right next to each other. I just wanted to be away from Joey right now. The waiter rushed over to hand us the cocktail and wine list. Oh yes, this will be needed.

JOEY

Wow, Mai is really drinking a lot tonight. I mean we all are, but this is more than I've ever seen from her. Is that her fifth cocktail? We haven't even had dinner yet!

"Mai, I think you should slow down", I said as I grabbed the martini glass out of her hand.

Oh no, that vein in her head was back…what did I do? Was it because I messed up Ryan's name? I was only kidding!

She scrunched up her nose as if angry with me and then she slowly relaxed her face and just said "ok". Wow, that was easy. I could still see the vein though, so I think she was just trying to be nice to me.

As the night went on, everyone was drinking and laughing more and more. I missed this. It was so nice to have Yugi, Serenity, Tristan, Tea, Duke and of course Mai all back together.

We all looked like a bunch of monkeys, stumbling out of the restaurant. Tea leaned on Yugi, Serenity had her arms interlocked with Tristan, and Duke somehow left the restaurant with two dates – one on each arm. Mai held on to my arm to keep her balance, but I could tell she was trying to keep her distance.

She looked beautiful tonight, as always. She was wearing a short, long sleeved black dress. The sleeves covered the lengths of her arms, but I could still see her skin through the lacy material. There was a circle of fabric cut out of the cleavage, with the top of the circle being connected by the same lace that covered her sleeves. Mai's blonde curls fell over her shoulders and half of her hair was pulled back.

We took the same cab so that I made sure she got home alright. She didn't say anything to me during the car ride, but I heard her hiccupping and she giggled to herself when she couldn't make the hiccups stop. I loved when she laughed like that and I couldn't help but smile. Then there was silence. She had fallen asleep and was leaning on my shoulder.

I didn't have the heart to wake her, so I just brought her to my place. I had an extra bed, so it wouldn't be a problem. As soon as the cab stopped, she woke up. Still drowsy, I grabbed her hand and led her to my spare bedroom. I went to the bathroom to change and heard her sneak into my bedroom. She came out carrying one of my white t-shirts and tiptoed back to bed. I grinned to myself and finished brushing my teeth.

Her light was still on, so I went in to check on her. I found her already fast asleep with my shirt on and her dress on the floor. I hung the dress up on a spare hanger, and stood over her admiring her beauty. She looked great in my shirt. I moved the hair out of her face and pulled the blankets over her. Without thinking, I leaned down and kissed her forehead, but I was startled when she started mumbling something inaudible.

"Mai?", I whispered, thinking she may have woken up.

"Mmm", she mumbled again, "…goodnight Joey, love you...grrmmmrrm".

"Mai?", I crouched down to her, feeling my face get hot and my mouth grinning like an idiot. But she was sleeping. All I could hear was the soft sound of her breathing.

I quietly turned the light off and left for my own bedroom. I stopped right outside of her room and felt my heart beat faster. To myself, I whispered "I love you too".

 **YEAR 9 – MOM**

JOEY

My clubhouse was doing well since the grand opening, but Mai had this brilliant idea to bring the kids from her orphanage. I knew this meant so much to her because those kids reminded her of herself as a child and she would have wanted this right after her parents passed away. The club was being rented out for the entire day, with food and drinks being provided to them. This would be great for her kids and maybe even spread some good publicity for my business.

Mai and I already spent a lot more time together since I was travelling less for tournaments and focusing on running the place, but today I'd see her all day. She wasn't seeing Ryan anymore, and luckily, he wouldn't be coming to the event. I admit that I was relieved when she told me she broke it off. They never really did hit it off, so I was happy that she wasn't too upset about it.

"We're here!", I heard a little boy shout as the shuttle pulled up to the curb.

"Now everyone, please be on your best behavior. If everyone is good, maybe we can come back!", I heard a motherly voice.

"Yes, Ms. Mai", I heard a few voices call out.

Then before I could even get a chance to open the door for them, about twenty little tykes rushed inside and scattered to different parts of the clubhouse.

I walked over to say hi, but stopped in my tracks when a tiny girl started tugging at Mai's skirt.

"Ms. Mai?", the girl in two pigtails said shyly.

Mai, lowered to the girl's height, "Mhmm, what is it sweetie?", she said while fixing one of the girl's loose hair ribbons.

The small girl saw me walking over to Mai, became visibly more nervous, and whispered something in Mai's ear.

"Oh of course Lily!", Mai said and lifted the girl up so she could see all the pictures on the "Master Duelist" wall.

Mai walked from side to side with Lily in her arm, showing her the pictures of the kids that had been in the club. I felt this warmth in my heart when I saw Mai put the girl down and then take her little hand and show her around the room. Mai would make a wonderful mother someday.

"Do you want to meet my friend, the one who owns this place? He's really nice Lily, I think you'll like him!" I heard Mai say as she was approaching the Snack Bar, where I was standing.

The little girl did a small nod and Mai bent over and picked her up again, "Lily, this is Mr. Joey". Mai met my eyes, then continued, "Joey, this is Lily.". Turning back to the girl, she asked "Are you hungry, sweetheart? This man knows about food. Trust me", Mai winked at me.

Little Lily nodded again, without saying a word.

"Well Ms. Lily", I reached over to a tray that had been out of the oven for a few minutes, "do you like chicken nuggets?" These are shaped after one of my favorite spells – Scapegoat!".

She giggled at the fur ball shapes and started chowing down…she nearly ate the entire tray. This tiny thing had an appetite! I went to the back to put more food in the oven, but not before I looked around and thought about how lucky I was to do something I loved.

MAI

All the kids filed back onto the shuttle as we were heading back soon. I was eternally grateful that Joey let me do this. These kids rarely got to leave the Orphanage, so I knew they had a lot of fun. Plus, I saw Joey sneak Lily one of the Scapegoat plushies. He's so sweet! And I wouldn't tell this to anyone, but little Lily was my favorite! She was shy because her first home was abusive, but she had a heart of gold. Now that I thought about it, she was a lot like a certain blonde I know.

I was the last one to get on the shuttle, but before I did, I hugged Joey goodbye and whispered in his ear "thank you". Of course, half the kids were peeking through the windows and followed with a chorus of oooohs and awwwws, teasing the two of us. I looked up to see Joey blushing just as I was, and I walked back towards the shuttle.

"Alright alright, the show's over, you little gremlins", I yelled up at the nosy kids, "Let's go! Who was that? Timmy? Yeah I'll remember that "ooo" next Halloween when I'm giving out the candy!". I could hear Joey laughing as I made my way to my seat and we drove away.

JOEY

Mai had the day off, so she was helping me with the clubhouse. She walked over to my dedication shelves, where I placed pictures of my friends on our adventures and had miniature statues for each friend. She teased me for not knowing that she got rid of the harpies from her deck, when she picked up the Cyber Harpy statue that represented her. How was I supposed to know?! She hadn't even competed in a tournament since the Masquerade! Then she teased me again, for not knowing it was her standing right next to me in the final three at that very tournament. Alright, I'll own up to being slow with that one. I don't think there are any other female blonde duelists in the circuit, but in my defense, I never thought I'd see Mai again!

The two of us were fighting over the last cheese fry, when my phone rang. It was Serenity.

"Big brother?", I heard Serenity ask quietly through sniffles.

"Serenity? Are you crying? What's wrong?", I asked, very concerned as Serenity rarely cried, and never called me.

"It's mom….", she trailed off and I listened, stunned in complete silence.

MAI

"I'm going to Tokyo. I'm not sure when I'll be back. Mom's gone…her funeral is Tuesday. Serenity is already there", Joey said after he hung up the phone.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Joey", I tried to sound comforting and leaned over to hug him.

He wasn't crying, and he didn't seem that upset. I knew he wasn't that close to his mom since she left him with his abusive father, but that was still Joey's mom. I hoped it wasn't one of those situations where a person bottles up all their pain and then eventually just explodes. I've never seen Joey show that kind of emotion before, but what if this was it? I had to go with him to make sure he was okay.

"Do you want me to go with you? I think I should go", I asked, concerned for both Joey and Serenity.

"No, that's okay", he smiled, "but thank you.".

Okay, that was not normal. Joey just found out his mother died and now he was smiling at me? I was going. I had seen this type of behavior before with one of the orphans a couple years ago. The little boy found out his abusive father had overdosed, the boy seemed fine, and then one day he started throwing chairs across the room when someone mentioned his dad. He had to be moved to a different facility.

"Ok, so our flight is in one hour, and I've booked a hotel that is only eight minutes from the funeral home. Serenity is picking us up from the airport and we can go from there…", I explained to Joey.

"Thanks for doing this, Mai. And coming with me. You really didn't need to", he said as we pulled into the airport parking lot.

"I know. I'm just a great friend". I looked over and saw Joey smirk.

While we were on the plane, I tried to think of ways to cheer Joey up. He wasn't upset yet, but I had a feeling that he would break once we got there. I took about twenty pictures of Joey drooling and sleeping on the plane. Maybe that wouldn't make him feel better, but it made me laugh.

JOEY

Serenity had already made the funeral arrangements and planned on doing everything since she lived in Tokyo and was closer to mom anyway. I offered to help, but sis seemed very adamant that I not do anything.

Tomorrow was the funeral, so tonight I had to write my speech. I wasn't sure what to say since mom and I were never that close. And when my parents got divorced, she didn't even take me with her. I wasn't good at this stuff, so Mai offered to write it for me. And it must have been a pretty good speech, since she was tearing up and Mai didn't even know my mom.

After Serenity, I walked up to the podium and read the eulogy that Mai wrote for me.

 _When I heard that mom was gone, I thought selfishly._

 _How could she leave me?_

 _Why was she taken from me so soon?_

 _I wasn't done learning from her._

 _Trying to be a better person because of her._

 _She didn't see the man that I became._

 _She didn't see the business that I created._

 _She didn't see the tournaments that I won._

 _She didn't see the family I would one-day raise._

 _Her blood is my blood and I would be nothing without her. She has inspired me every day and will continue to inspire me. As for what I said earlier? It isn't about me, it's a celebration of her._

 _What is her next chapter?_

 _She is leaving for bigger things._

 _She taught me her lessons._

 _She made a better person in this world._

 _She shaped the man that I became._

 _She built the business that I created._

 _She guided me in the tournaments that I won._

 _She is the foundation of the family I will one-day raise._

 _Her memory will always live on because she is a part of me. And she's probably a part of everyone in this room too._

I saw a letter that looked like it was from mom on the podium. I wondered if Serenity had accidentally left it, so I snatched it and read it once I got back to my seat.

 _Serenity_ ,

 _Please tell Joey that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left him when you two were younger. I was afraid because I saw your father in him. He had his eyes and sometimes, his anger. It scared me, and I didn't want that to break the rest of our family apart. Now that I'm lying here, barely strong enough to write this letter, I realize that I was wrong. Very wrong. I am so proud of him. He took care of you when I couldn't. He strengthened our family, when I was the one that tore it apart. But I won't be a burden to you or your brother any longer. I haven't been going to chemotherapy and I haven't told anyone of my diagnosis. I can't live any longer, knowing the pain that I have caused to you two. Tell Joey that I love him. He is a better person than I ever was…_

 _Mom_

For the first time since I heard about mom's passing, tears started forming in my eyes. I wish I had known about this before. Why didn't Serenity tell me? And where was Mai?

MAI

"Thank you for doing all of this, Serenity", I told Joey's sister, pulling her aside in a private area. "I just really don't want Joey to be hurt. I know it's not quite the same, but when I lost my mother, I didn't think that things would ever get better. I don't want him to feel what I felt".

"Of course, Mai. That's nice of you. By the way, did you write Joey's speech? It sounded really heartfelt…a bit unlike Joey", Serenity asked, knowing the answer and her brother too well.

I nodded, feeling guilty that I had been found out.

She laughed, then redirected the conversation back to my original concerns, "But don't worry Mai, I made sure Joey wouldn't go through Mom's things, so he doesn't have to relive any bad memories. And he won't ever see Mom's letter either. It's right here", she patted her left coat pocket. Then I could see a panicked look on her face when she reached in her pocket, and the letter was gone.

I was a little worried, but tried to reason that it is was very unlikely that Joey had read the letter. It was probably in Serenity's other coat pocket. As I tried to clear my mind, the funeral was ending, and people were shuffling out. I saw Joey stomp towards us with a letter in his hand, stopping right in front of Serenity.

"Sis? When were you going to show me this letter from mom?!", he angrily shouted, holding back tears. His eyes were already red, I could tell he had been crying earlier. My heart sank. This was what I was trying to avoid! I couldn't see Joey like this.

"I'm, I'm, I'm sorry Joey!", Serenity stuttered, trying to keep her composure.

"You weren't going to show me this, were you?!", his voice getting louder. "Mom wrote this for me! She was sorry, and I could have spent the rest of my life thinking that she never cared about me! Why would you hide this from me?!"

I had never seen Joey this mad before. This was all my fault. Maybe I should have just let him see the letter. I just thought that if he saw it, then he would blame himself for his mom's death. Maybe he would think that his mom gave up her life because she thought Joey never forgave her. Or that she chose to reject chemotherapy because her death would be a blessing for Joey. I know how guilty he feels about other people getting hurt. He always blames himself. I was just trying to protect him!

But now Serenity was in tears, barely able to get a word out. I couldn't let her take the blame for this.

"Joey, stop!", I interjected, "It wasn't Serenity. It was me. I told her not to give you that letter!" I'm sorry, I'm so so sor-", I pleaded before he cut me off.

"WHAT?! Mai, why would you do that?!", he was still screaming, but now his anger was directed at me.

"I just wanted to protect you!", looking up at him before looking down to the ground.

"Protect me?! From what?! Learning that she actually cared about me?", he pointed to the letter, "That's sick Mai. What is wrong with you?!".

I kept my eyes towards the ground. I didn't want to see him this upset. I couldn't take it anymore. I had hurt Joey in the past, but this was a million times worse. Right now, there wasn't anything I could do, and I knew I wouldn't be able to stop his hurt. I felt this enormous pain in my chest, and it was creeping up my throat. There weren't even tears in my eyes. I felt completely lost, like this loneliness that I remember feeling as a child. I didn't know how to fix any of this, so I just did what I did best.

"I'm sorry", I squeaked out, before I ran.

JOEY

It had been a few hours and I had finally calmed down. I could never stay mad at Serenity, and it wasn't her fault anyway. I went back to the hotel room to look for Mai. I hadn't forgiven her, and I still didn't understand why she wanted to hide my mother's letter, but maybe we could talk. Mai wasn't there, and her suitcase was gone. I tried calling. Her phone wasn't even on; it went straight to voicemail. I didn't bother to leave a message this time – she was probably just on the airplane.

Later, I went to dinner with my sister. I offered to go through mom's stuff again with her, while I was still in town. I had accepted that mom made mistakes and I forgave her. My childhood wasn't perfect, but I was in a better place now. If Serenity thought that I wouldn't want to go through mom's belongings just because of our bad history, it was okay, and I could handle it.

"Well…Joey, please don't be mad at me. And please don't be mad at Mai, but she didn't want you to have to go through mom's stuff", Serenity explained.

"What?", I said more calmly than earlier today. "Why is Mai obsessed with controlling everything? I'm an adult, I can handle my own mother's affairs", trying to maintain my composure, but struggling.

Serenity flinched. I think she was afraid that this conversation would be a repeat of this afternoon.

"I just don't understand why she's doing all of this. Mai never acts this controlling. Did she say anything to you, sis?", trying harder to control my anger.

"Well she just said that she wanted to protect you from getting hurt", Serenity explained, trying to remember any other clues that Mai gave. "Actually…she did mention something about losing her own mom".

"She did?", I asked, worried. Mai rarely talked about her mother. I knew she lost her parents when she was young, but she never really went further than that. And I never pushed the subject.

"Joey? You know the eulogy that Mai wrote for you? Do you think that Mai wrote it about her mom?", Serenity asked.

"Now that you mention it, that makes sense. I know she didn't want me to see it, but when Mai was writing it, I saw her crying".

Oh my god. I'm such an idiot. The pieces were lining up. Mai just wanted to protect me, in her weird way, from seeing things that would hurt me. I don't think she realized that these weren't things that would hurt me – the letter, mom's old belongings, the eulogy – these were all things that would hurt Mai, if she dealt with them for her own mother. Maybe being here, at mom's funeral, was just digging up these old feelings. She did all of this craziness for me, to protect me. Even though it was killing her.

"Serenity, I'm sorry but I have to cut this trip short. I have to find her".

MAI

I drove for what seemed like an hour before I saw the road sign. Okay good, just one more right turn and I'll be there. I reached in my back pocket for my duel deck and got out of the car.

JOEY

I called as soon as I got off the plane, and her phone was still off. Where was she and why was her phone off? It had been an entire day, so she would have had time to charge it! I guess I just had to look around. I'll check her house, she's probably home.

I pulled into her driveway, but her car wasn't there and the lights in her house looked like they were turned off. I knocked and yelled her name, but nobody answered. I tried calling her phone again, but nothing. I tried peeking through the window, but I could only see her empty living room. Then, the memory flashed in my mind.

" _Well I'm sorry to hear that Joseph, but I don't think she was good enough for you anyway"_

" _Then who do you think is good enough for me?"_

" _Mmmm…probably no one"_

 _And then I grabbed her face and passionately kissed her._

The memory faded, and I stood there closing my eyes trying to bring it back.

I drove around, hoping that I would find her just walking along the street. Instead, I found myself at the park by the ice cream place and another memory flashed.

" _Hey Mai, I was thinking…maybe we should just go back to the way things were before…"._

" _Before we ate twelve scoops of ice cream? Good idea, I feel sick"_

" _You're my best friend Mai, and I don't want things to go badly. I think we should just be friends"._

I hated that memory. I was a fool to let her go.

Maybe someone at the orphanage knew where she went. I walked in and asked if anyone had seen Mai, but they hadn't heard from her in a few days. In the back, I saw Lily and she was wearing the same pigtails. The memory of Mai holding the little girl's hand and proudly showing her around the clubhouse appeared.

" _Do you want to meet my friend, the one who owns this place? He's really nice Lily, I think you'll like him!"_

 _Lily, this is Mr. Joey. Joey, this is Lily. Are you hungry, sweetheart? This man knows about food. Trust me"._

I smiled, thinking about the cute wink Mai shot me afterwards. And then panic started to sink in…I need to find her. Where could she be? I tried calling again, but still nothing.

Maybe she was at the clubhouse? I would try anywhere and everywhere. I parked near the entrance, on the side of the road. She wasn't inside, and her car wasn't around. Another memory flashed. It was the memory of our first time visiting this place – before I had even bought the property. She was excitedly pointing around the empty room, telling me where she pictured the dueling arenas and the open windows.

" _This is great, Joey! Just think how close this is to Yugi's shop! Kids could easily buy new cards there and then run over here to test them out!"_

She was the only one that believed in me and encouraged me to follow my dreams. I wasn't going to give up looking for her. The only other place I could think of was my house. I drove over and again, I didn't see her car anywhere. I turned the key to my home, and weakly called out her name, knowing that nobody would answer. Defeated, I walked to my room, passing the spare bedroom and another memory flashed. She was lying in the bed in my t-shirt, mumbling in her sleep.

" _Mai?"_

" _Mmm…goodnight Joey, love you...grrmmmrrm"._

" _Mai? … I love you too"._

That was it. I couldn't hold back my tears. I fell to my knees and started sobbing. I couldn't stop. The tears just kept falling and I pulled my phone out for one last attempt to call her. But it went directly to voicemail.

"Mai…please", I whimpered, "Please give me a sign that you are ok…I love you".

I closed my eyes, trying to picture her by my side again. I could only see darkness until a flash of light interrupted it, just as the other memories had flashed in my mind. Only this time, I saw an unfamiliar place. This was not a memory I had with Mai – this place was outside, and it was grey, and it looked like there were gravestones. Was this a cemetery?

No! What did that mean? Was she dead? My heart started beating so fast that it was difficult to breathe. She couldn't be…I had to keep searching. I ran out the door, got into my car, turned the ignition, and just started driving.

MAI

I just sat there for a long time. I breathed in the different perfumes and I was sent back to my mother's room. Nobody was around; this was so peaceful. About an hour ago, I was completely frozen. My mind felt blank and empty, and I was afraid that I would feel the loneliness that I did so many years ago. But then the cards gave me peace and I wanted to stay here for a while longer. I closed my eyes and just breathed.

JOEY

Where am I going? It seemed like I had been driving for an hour. I had no idea what I was doing…this was pointless. And then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of purple. What was that? That looked like a car. Mai's convertible!

I slammed on the break and quickly turned right. I was driving right into a cemetery…this had to be the cemetery in my vision! I drove up to the purple convertible. That was definitely Mai's car but where was Mai? I frantically searched around and there! I saw a dot of yellow. That had to be her hair! I sprinted toward her and immediately crashed to the ground where she was sitting and held her.

"Mai…", I whispered, a few tears falling from my eyes again.

I held her close, I breathed in her smell, and I promised myself that I would never let her go again. I was in love with her.

MAI

"Joey? Are you okay?", I asked, still wrapped in his arms.

"Mai, I'm so glad you're safe. I was really worried about you. Why wasn't your phone on?", he finally let go and wrapped his hands around mine.

I looked at him and his nose was red, and his eyes looked tired. I pulled out a tissue and wiped away the tears that had fallen. I had never seen Joey like this. He looked so…vulnerable. I didn't know what to say so I just stared at him and smiled.

Then, ignoring his question, I pointed to the grave in front of us. It was a double headstone, that said "VALENTINE" in giant letters. There were dead roses sitting on top from the last time I had visited. They were my mother's favorite, but I didn't have time to get new ones this time. Sitting on the ground was an open jewelry box, noticeably releasing an aroma that was a combination of dozens of different perfumes. Inside the box were my old Harpy duel monster cards. They still had the lingering scent of perfume from when I used my aroma technique. The bottom-most card was a Harpy Lady from nine years ago, when I first started setting them by this grave.

"These are my parents, Joey", I glanced over at him, but he was studying the gravesite. I showed him the jewelry box, "And these are my Harpy cards. Do you remember when I sprayed them with perfume and pretended I had ESP?"

He nodded.

"They were my mother's favorite perfumes. And my most distinct memory of her", I took a card from the box, held it to my nose, closed my eyes, and breathed in the smell, "but someone special told me that I didn't need gimmicks to be a good duelist".

"I had no idea these were so special to you, Mai. I never would have – ", he sounded sad.

"No! It's okay. You were right", I cut him off. "I was a much better duelist without the tricks". Then, I pulled my deck out of my pocket and grabbed the Harpy's Feather Duster card. "This is my last one", and I placed it on top of the others. "I'm finally ready to let it go".

"Mai, you don't have to do this", he said as he grabbed the box.

"Joey, these cards were special to me for a very long time. But I don't need the perfume tricks anymore, and I don't need to hang on to these because I've attached the memory of my mom to them", I closed the box and set it back on the ground. "She will always be with me".

He put his arm around me and I leaned into him.

"And so will I", he said as he kissed my forehead.

 **YEAR 10 – THE BEACH AND THE LITTLE MAGICIAN**

JOEY

I didn't want to take advantage of Mai when she was in this fragile place. I knew it took a lot to give up her last Harpy card and relive the memories of her mother after everything that had happened in Tokyo. For now, I kept my feelings to myself and just tried to be her friend.

Months had passed, and we were closer than ever. We goofed around like we always had, but now we opened up about our childhoods. I felt horrible for not knowing about her mother and I didn't want there to be any more secrets between us. She seemed just as interested in my life, which was great because I wanted to share it with her.

Today, we were meeting up with Serenity and Tristan. They had been together for a while, and he was a brother to me anyway. I promised my sister we would see this place again, and I was finally making good on that promise. This was one of the first memories that I revealed to Mai and she quickly arranged this reunion. The beach was a memory meant to be shared so she was coming along.

"Oh, this looks just as beautiful as I remember!", squealed Serenity.

I had to agree. As soon as my feet touched the hot sand, I was taken back to when we were little. The waves sounded the same, the warmth of the sun felt the same, and this comforting feeling was the same. Everything about today was perfect.

Serenity and I started building a sand castle like we had done when we were little. This one was much bigger, with three tiers, dozens of windows, intricate designs, and even a surrounding moat! Of course, this was mostly the work of my much more talented sister, but I loved to see Serenity's eyes light up when we had finished. Tristan ran over to grab the camera and tripped right into the castle, half landing on Serenity and knocking her over. The whole scene looked like it was rehearsed from a comedy and we spent nearly ten minutes laughing.

Later, Mai was helping me with the sunscreen on my back. As soon as she touched me, I felt sparks. It was like a shock of electricity through my body, but I was trying to keep my feelings at bay and quickly took the bottle from her and messily applied the rest. I regretted not letting her do the rest of my body because later, I fell asleep eating animal crackers, and woke up with a tanned stomach minus the two pale images of a small elephant and a small tiger. Mai rolled around in a fit of giggles when she saw my stomach and I wrapped my arms around her, teasing her with fake anger. I loved her laugh.

I wanted to hear it again. When we went swimming, I had the brilliant idea of tickling her foot with a piece of seaweed. She immediately screamed, thinking something in the water had grabbed her and dunked me under the water!

"Hey, what was that for?!", I yelled as I came up for air.

"If there's a shark, I'm sacrificing you!", she teased and started swimming away, giggling.

"Oh no you don't, Mai Valentine! I'm dragging you down with me!", I swam in her direction and quickly caught up, holding her in my arms.

She screamed again, then burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. I couldn't help but laugh too.

Things had calmed down and as we were standing in the shallow part of the water, she looked out across the ocean. The sun was setting, and it was a colorful arrangement of red, orange, and pink.

"I've never seen anything like this. It's so beautiful", she smiled and looked towards the horizon.

"I think so too", my eyes locked on to her.

She turned her head back to me and her smile widened. We just stared at each other and then she lifted one hand to my face and pressed her lips to mine. It only lasted for a second before she pulled away, and walked back towards the shore.

MAI

Joey was coming over today, so we could watch the latest duel monster tournament. But really, I wanted to show him the only thing I had recovered from my past. When I was sent to the orphanage after my parent's car accident, the only thing I brought with me was my storybook. It was the most precious thing in my life until I met Joey.

"I got your favorite! Pepperoni pizza!", he waved the large pizza box around as he walked into my living room.

"Joey, that's _your_ favorite", I looked at him unamused.

"Oops", he said with a toothy grin.

I just rolled my eyes and sat on the other end of the couch. It had been about two years since our first kiss on this very couch, but lately, my feelings for him had peaked. I had tried for years to push any romantic ideas of Joey away, but they always boomeranged right back. And when he told me after that kiss that he wanted to remain just friends, I forced myself to do anything and everything to bury the part of me that wanted more.

I tried dating other people and I tried keeping my distance, but I always came back to him. When he invited me to the beach, I slipped up and kissed him. I didn't have control of my lips; there was this lump in my throat that ached for him and I felt it again on this couch. He never mentioned what happened during that sunset, so we pretended it never happened. If it didn't happen again, I think I would be okay. He was my best friend and I couldn't lose him because of this.

"Mai, what are you doing way over there?", he asked sliding over to my side. "I don't smell that bad, do I? I actually took a shower today!"

Of course not, he smelled amazing. I laughed, trying to play it off. "It's not that, I'm just staying out of the two-foot radius that is Joey Wheeler's Pizza Zone. It gets messy in there", I teased and stuck my tongue out at him.

He laughed it off but didn't move from his seat right next to me.

The tournament ended with Yugi winning and I excused myself.

"I'll be right back. You can watch whatever you want", I said, handing him the remote.

I had to get out of there. The lump in my throat was particularly noticeable today. I wanted him so badly it hurt, and I didn't want another beach incident. I went to my room and pulled out my storybook. I wanted to finally show Joey this, but being around him was torturous. I would just say I wasn't feeling well and send him home instead.

Before I could head back to the living room, that dirty-blonde goofball poked his head in my door.

"Hey whatcha got there?", he asked, pointing to my storybook and inviting himself to where I was sitting on my bed. Oh, great.

"Oh this? It's just a book from when I was little".

His eyes widened, sensing that it was important to me. The empty space beside me was filled as he sat on my bed and leaned in closer to take a look. The small paperback was well worn; the corner was permanently creased, the color was faded, and the tape that I had used to hold together the failing spine was peeling away. But I loved this book and the vivid memories it held completely contrasted its sad exterior. Joey wiped away the dust that had gathered and read aloud the title, "Kora, The Little Magician".

"This sounds really silly, but when I was little, I wanted to be just like her", I explained, flipping through the pages. "Her parents were trapped in the Dark Abyss, so she used her psychic powers to save them. She could read minds and I thought that was so cool!".

I remembered reading this every day to myself and picturing myself jumping into the pages of the book to be the little magician. I felt this happiness take over my heart as I was transported to the mind of six-year old Mai. I touched the pages, hovering over the little girl's outstretched hand as if I could actually reach it. Trying to share my memory, Joey ran his fingers over the page and his pinkie bumped into mine. I instinctively pulled away from his touch and he just looked at me without saying a word.

"I wanted to be Kora so badly. She had superpowers, and everyone loved her. She was special", I said reaching the last page, where the little girl was standing in between her parents, having saved them from the darkness.

"You _are_ special", Joey whispered, and I could feel his eyes staring at me as I closed the book.

There was tension in the air, but I kept my eyes down towards the bed and didn't say a word. Then the memory of our moment on the couch from three years ago appeared. I could feel his lips on mine; I could smell his aftershave with each breath; I could feel his warmth surround me. Every sense was heightened, and my mind drifted off to the fantasy where we were together. Driving my daydreams further, I turned my head to look at him to realize we were only a few inches away from each other. Like a gravitational pull, I was moving closer to him and my eyes stayed on his lips. It felt like a trance that only my nervousness broke, searching for a sign from Joey that he felt this magnetic force too. Answering my silent prayer, he met my lips with his and once again, every sense was lifted to another dimension. The sound of my beating heart silenced the world around us as he held his hand to my face to deepen the kiss. His touch ignited a fire throughout my body and I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him closer. My balance was slipping, and my eyes were closed, but it didn't matter because I felt safe with him. Taking Joey's lead, our bodies leaned back, and we fell onto the pillow as one, our lips never losing their hold. His lips were so soft, so comforting and I couldn't deny the tingling sensation that spread to every part of my body from his touch. At last we broke our union, only barely separating, and lied face to face. Only our quiet breathing broke the silence.

"Wow" was the only thing that he could muster, while I lied there speechless, still reeling from our kiss. It had left me feeling everything I had felt from the first time, but somehow _more_. While it felt like the first kiss was driven by lust, this was driven by _love_. The former was fueled by want, and this was fueled by _need_. Every part of me needed Joey and I wanted him to need me too.

"Joey…", I began, "I was thinking…", I trailed off, trying to find my words. "I love that you always protect me, that you keep me safe. I love that you never give up on me, even when I give up on myself. I love your passion for your clubhouse and your never-ending spirit. I love that you gave Lily that little Scapegoat plushie when you thought nobody was looking. I love that you've made me a better person. And if I love everything _about_ you, I guess that means I just love _you_ ", I said as I reached for his hand, interlocking my fingers with his. "I do, Joey, I love you".

He smiled and lifted his hand to my face, his touch sending another shiver through my body. "Well that's funny Mai, because I was thinking too. About how I love that you always support my dreams. And how I love how you take care of your kids. I love how you'll take a plane with me across the country in a moment's notice and I love how you deal with my never-ending appetite". I laughed but he continued, "I love how you laugh at your own hiccups, and I love the butterflies I get in my stomach every time I see you. So I guess that means I love you too", he finished, squeezing the hand that was intertwined with his. His lips found mine once more and the rest was a dream…

JOEY

The first year we met, we hated each other. Well I liked Mai, but she hated me. The second year we met, we fell in love, but didn't realize it. The fourth year we met, she nearly killed me with power of a green rock. The seventh year we met, we fell in love again. Three years later, we finally started dating. It only took ten years to be with Mai Valentine, but as they say, "Love is patient, love is kind".

"Joey, our Tag-Team Duel versus Yugi and Tea is in thirty minutes. If you make us late, I will crush you!", Mai shouted from across the room.

"Pleeease, crush me" I giggled, imitating the words of our first conversation.

She looked at me, her face changing from anger to laughter, then jumped into my arms and attacked my neck with a barrage of kisses.


End file.
